Superman Unbound brings the machines

Posted February 6, 2013 - 09:00
by
CB Droege

Warner Bros. has posted a trailer teasing its upcoming animated adaptation of the superhero.

Warner Bros.’ DC Comics animation studio is on a roll lately. Most recently, they adapted Dark Knight Returns for the small screen, and it was the best animated superhero story in ages. Their next project is Superman Unbound, and it follows well the formula that the recent Batman production proved out: Create a nearly-verbatim animated adaptation of a graphic novel which is already popular, and which stands alone as a great story. Couple it with a veteran voice cast, and wait for magic.

Superman Unbound adapts the 2008 story arc from Action Comics, written by Geoff Johns. This isn’t our new, brooding Superman, but it is a Superman with more on his mind, and who is up against his greatest foe. Lex Luthor might be Superman’s ‘arch nemesis’, but Brainiac is the real villain in the story, and always will be. The robot world-eater who destroyed Krypton has come to Earth, and only Superman can stop him.

Matt Bomer plays Superman this time, creating a nice counterpoint to the performance given by Mark Valley in The Dark Knight Returns. Where Valley's Superman is gruff and arrogant, Bomer's is earthy and almost gentle. We also get John Noble (Walter on Fringe) as Braniac, which will add an interesting layer of sympathy to the character. Stana Katic and Molly Quinn (who work together already on the crime drama Castle) voice Lois Lane and Supergirl respectively.

If you were lucky enough to grab a copy of The Dark Knight Rises: Part II on DVD or Blu-ray, then, you’ve likely already seen the trailer for Superman Unbound, but for the rest of us, it’s been put out on the internet by The Nerdest:

Superman Unbound is set for a 2013 direct to home video release, though an exact date has not yet been announced.